Elkhart County jobless rate rose in June, but so did jobs

Elkhart County's estimated unemployment rate jumped in June, according to numbers released Thursday by the state and federal agencies that track the numbers.

Justin Leighty

Posted on July 18, 2013 at 1:00 a.m.
| Updated on July 18, 2013 at 3:34 p.m.

GOSHEN — Elkhart County’s unemployment rate jumped up in June to 8.6 percent, though it’s below the state average for the first time in a long time.

The state’s non-seasonally adjusted average was 8.7 percent, a jump from May’s 8.1 percent. Elkhart County’s May rate was 8.2 percent.

In June 2012, Elkhart County’s unemployment rate was 8.9 percent, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, which released this June’s numbers Thursday afternoon, July 18.

Even with the jump, more than 1,400 more people were employed in Elkhart County in June than in May, according to the estimates by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The total estimated size of the work force grew more in June, though, expanding by more than 2,000 workers.

According to the estimates, there were 94,401 workers in the labor force in June and 86,242 people working in Elkhart County.

Across the state, there were 5,300 more private-sector jobs in June than in May. Most of those jobs — 4,300 — came in manufacturing.

“The manufacturing sector experienced the largest one-month increase in nearly a decade,” said Scott Sanders, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, in the monthly written jobs announcement. “The majority of the growth occurred in durable goods, mainly in transportation equipment.”

Sanders also noted that private sector employment for June of 2,518,600 has not been near this level since June 2008, and initial claims for unemployment insurance continue to remain at their lowest levels since 2000.

Among neighboring counties, Kosciusko and LaGrange counties had lower unemployment rates in June, at 7.4 and 7.6 percent, respectively. Marshall County was same as the state average, and Noble County was just above it at 8.8 percent. St. Joseph County moved up to 9.9 percent unemployment from May’s 9.7 percent.